Chopper search for party fails

NW News Staff
WOODINVILLE--King County Police responding to reports of drinking and loud noise in the Lake Leota area Sept. 21 found nobody though the search was assisted by Guardian 3, one of the county's police helicopters.

According to police spokesperson Joanne Elledge, police were alerted by neighbors of a residence in the 17500 block of N.E. 160th St. that as many as 50 people were partying past 10 p.m.

But a tipster must've alerted party-goers because when the police arrived at approximately 11 p.m., nobody was at the scene, according to Elledge. Guardian 3, called in to assist in the search, swept through the area as many as 11 times, by some accounts.

Elledge said Guardian 3 happened to be in the area but that helicopters weren't normally used to search for partys.
"We get tons of party calls," Elledge said.